Jul 2018: 2005 Maxferd Richter Auslese*** 2014 Sea Smoke Chard, 2001 Sassicaia, Jaboulet Hermitage Chapelle 1983 1994 ’99, 2001 Ridge Monte Bello…

2001 Sassicaia, a glass tasted blind at Jade Palace 6 July 2018, courtesy of Fatty. Darkly aromatic with just a hint of evolution at the rim. Rich in dark ripe blackberries and dark currants on the palate. Full, rounded and fleshy, structured with very finely grained velvety tannins, finishing with quiet intensity. Very Bordeaux-like. I’d thought it was a Palmer, but guessed it correctly on the second attempt. Highly successful, and yet to peak. Excellent.

1996 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert at Jade Palace 6 July 2018. Powerful plummy glow of ripe dark berries medicinal characters that imparted a tinge of orange peel and licorice amidst a cedary floor. Medium-bodied, rounded with sweet gentle tannins, finishing on a herbal note. Slightly burly. Very fine, but may not appeal to all.

2016 Sacred Hill Pinot Noir, from the list of the M Social Hotel, Singapore, 07 July 2018. Medium-full with quite an abundance of raspberries, dark plums and wild berries, displaying fair intensity with a tinge of undergrowth. Took some time to open up with attractive suppleness whilst developing dry earthy textures not unlike a Nuits-Saint-Georges, replete with thyme and spice at the finish. Nothing profound, but highly serviceable.

2007 Tignanello, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 11 July 2018. Deep purple, exuding a delicious aromatic glow of strawberries, dark cherries and dried herbs on an earthy floor. Plush, rounded and supple, well-layered with furry textures, broadly structured with chiselled acidity, finishing with a hint of mint. Excellent.

2007 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, popped and poured at Huat Kee, 15 July 2018. This wine exudes aromas of old earth, dried tea leaves and mushrooms matched by an ample body of dark wild berries shrouded with overtones of licorice and medicinal traces. Medium-full, rounded and fleshy with very fine acidity and seamless sweet tannins, developing further notes of soy before finishing with growing intensity amidst a minty glow. Distinctly New World though still excellent in its own right.

2001 Ch Sociando Mallet, popped and poured at Eat First, 19 July 2018. Deep purple, displaying a predominance of ripe dark berries and currants on the nose matched by excellent concentration and layering of fruit with well integrated acidity. Has that characteristic dry touch of the northern Medoc. Highly supple and open, its finely-grained tannins ensuring superb fullness and mouthfeel. Very fine but I think this is as good as it can be.

2016 Concha Y Toro Frontera Sauvignon Blanc, tasted at Singapore Changi Airport T2 Gold Lounge, 20 July 2018. Exuding an attractive soft gentle floral glow, this wine rather  shy on the nose though the palate is imbued with zesty clear citrus that imparted refreshing vigour and fullness, tapering to a decent finish amidst glowing tones of vanilla icing. Quite fine.

2017 Sacred Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, from the list of Baan Kathira Asiatique Riverfront, Bangkok, 20 July 2018. Rather minerally on the palate with an illusion of fizz amidst some mint, vanilla and grassy elements. Simple.

2015 De Bortoli Family Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, from the list of Baan Kathira Asiatique Riverfront, Bangkok, 20 July 2018. Earthy tones and dark wild berries dominate with full-on concentration and intensity, highly supple and fleshy. Serviceable.

2013 Chris Ringland Barossa Shiraz, from the list of Baan Kathira Asiatique Riverfront, Bangkok, 20 July 2018. Unmistakable bouquet of classic warm ripe Barossa shiraz, oozing with gentle overtones of tobacco, licorice and raspberries framed by subtle tannins that teased the palate with fleeting intensity, highly supple. Rounded and full with creamy textures. Fairly sophisticated. Quite excellent.

2017 Pinical Estate Family Reserve Cabernet Merlot, tasted at the Silver Kris lounge, Bangkok, 22 July 2018. One-dimensional with a sharp plummy tone though undoubtedly full in concentration, finishing with gritty dryish tannins.

2016 St Martin Reserve Chardonnay, tasted at the Silver Kris lounge, Bangkok, 22 July 2018. This Vin de Pays D’Oc displays muted grassy elements with traces of icing on the nose, equally subdued in chalk and minerals on the palate that belies the abundance of white fruit and citrus that ensured a long glowing finish of dense floral tones and white pepper. Very fine!

2011 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, courtesy of Kieron at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. This wine opens with an intense complex bouquet of dense minerals and white floral notes, replete with overtones of enamel, icing and vanilla, caressing the palate with a rich silky buttery coat, displaying fabulous concentration and intensity with a broad expanse of flinty detail that tapered with great linearity to a crisp tingling finish. Outstanding.

2014 Sea Smoke Chardonnay Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard, courtesy of LF at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Very lovely floral bouquet that hinted at salted caramel and traces of vanilla whilst the palate is rounded with delicate tones of green fruits and grassy elements, displaying lovely integration, developing further subtle nuances in its ever evolving complex bouquet, gaining superb depth and succulence. Infinitely feminine. Wonderful stuff.

2007 William Selyem Peyr Vineyard Pinot Noir, courtesy of CW at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Simply stunning in its hedonistic bouquet of glorious red cherries and lifted red fruits, fulfilling its promise of a richly layered palate laced with silky smooth incense amidst understated earthy intensity. Excellent.

2014 Pahlmeyer Merlot, courtesy of LF at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Glorious deep purple, open with a lovely concentration of warm red fruits and redcurrants still laced with vanillin oak, displaying fine restrained intensity in spite of its delicious sweet tannins. Excellent.

2001 Ridge Monte Bello, courtesy of Kieron at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Deep crimson, displaying great immediacy with an effusive glorious glow of bright red fruits and currants from a medium-bodied proposition. Warm, ripe, open and fleshy, beautifully rounded. Still youthful. Excellent.

2003 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Absolutely stunning bouquet of a powerful mentholic medicinal glow underscored by enamel and alcohol rub, medium-full and fleshy, stuffed with a great abundance of ripe dark plums and blackcurrants but the menthol overshadowed all else. Will it ever settle down?

1962 Borgogno Antichi Vigneti Propri Barolo, courtesy of WCY at Imperial Treasure ION, 23 July 2018. Exuding a sharp glow of great earthy pungency, this aged Barolo is structured with dry textures, still alive with very good concentration of cool mellowed fruit. Excellent.

2002 Lanson Noble Cuvee Blanc de Blancs, courtesy of KP at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Rather austere, saturated with bright intense citrus and ferrous minerals that imparted bone dry textures with overtones of toasty oak.

2014 Peter Lauer Kupp Kabinett, courtesy of Jonny at Il Den, 26 July 2018. From Ayler Kupp. Classic diesel fumes dominate on the nose, slightly peaty with an earthy pungency that seemed most appropriate here. Very well rounded with a characteristic oily richness, softly caressing the palate with a gentle sweetness of mild tropical fruits. Excellent.

2005 Weingut Maxferd Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese***, courtesy of Jonny at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Lovely golden hue, exuding a highly refined and complex bouquet of petroleum fumes with the delicate essence of nectarine and tropical fruits, layered with rich detail and luscious concentration. Superb.

1995 Domaine Mungeard Echezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Kenny at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Ample bouquet of rose petals and camphor with a generous dose of icing, supple and open with gentle lift. More plummy on the palate, displaying good intensity and purity, rather seamless but not much in terms of detail.

2011 Domaine Louis Latour Corton Grand Cru, courtesy of Sea Hing at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Shut on the nose. Packed with tangerines and red fruits but sharp and angular on the palate with vegetal elements. Rather disjointed. Disappointing.

1999 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Deep crimson with a vermilion rim, proffering a deep powerful bouquet of ripe dark fruits with a mentholic hint coupled with a robust body of supple tangerines laced with crisp acidity. Not quite entirely seamless. I’d expected better.

1994 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, courtesy of John at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Bright crimson. Well evolved. Open, fleshy and deeply layered with mature ripe fruit that exuded an attractive glowing intensity but unlikely to improve further.

1983 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, courtesy of Hiok at Il Den, 26 July 2018. Complex evolved bouquet of strawberries and redcurrants but somewhat restrained, though the palate is pliant and juicy with characters of earth, tangerines and red fruits that still measured up with fine intensity, structure and acidity. Excellent.

Javier of Il Den is a great one-man show in his tiny restaurant

2000 Ch Chasse-Spleen, decanted on-site at Osteria Art, 28 July 2018. Brilliant deep ruby, delivering a superb deep glow of dark currants, raspberries and dark cherries with a dark rosy fragrance, wonderfully ripe with sublime acidity, its soft roundedness evoking a distinct feminine stance enhanced, turning more minerally with emerging graphite elements, eventually fleshing out even more with open dryish textures. Superb.

2005 Ch Les Carmes Haut Brion, popped and poured at Eat First, 31 July 2018. Dry and robust, stuffed with ample dark fruits and ripe wild berries, quite fleshy, subtly structured with chiselled tannins. Very fine.